In the case of this process which is known from EP-A1 0 286,862, a steel strip of 40-50 mm thickness cast in a continuous ingot mold is pressed by a pair of rolls after leaving the mold in such a way that the inner walls of the casting shell formed in the mold are welded together.
In continuous casting in a continuous mold of given length, the thickness of the casting shell which is formed is essentially dependent on the casting speed. In order to assure a constant roll gap, the rolling force must be adapted to the instantaneous casting shell thickness. With a casting speed that is too slow, the available rolling force is no longer sufficient, so that the required thickness of the steel strip produced is exceeded. With too high a casting speed, a welding of the casting shell can only be produced by going below the required thickness of the produced steel strip.
The task of the invention is to create a process and a plant for conducting the process, whereby unwanted fluctuations in thickness of the steel strip produced are avoided and a good structure is obtained. Over and above this, a simplification of the deformation unit as well as a reduction in its energy requirement will be achieved.